For
a couple years now, Geordin Hill-Lewis, an MP with the opposition
Democratic Alliance (DA) party, has been trying to convince his fellow
parliamentarians of the wisdom of opening up South Africa’s online sports
betting market by authorizing
other verticals like poker and casino games.

Earlier
this month, the National Assembly’s Trade and Industry Committee delivered a
report rejecting Hill-Lewis’ latest version of his Remote
Gambling Bill. On Thursday, the National Assembly debated whether or
not to accept or reject the committee’s findings.

News24 quoted
Hill-Lewis making his by now familiar arguments, which found some support from
Inkatha Freedom Party MP Jan Esterhuizen, who pointed out that the
country’s ban on other verticals and threats of
harsh punishments for transgressors had failed to halt
thousands of international online gambling sites from serving the needs of
South African gamblers.

In the end, the National Assembly voted
to accept the committee’s report, cruelly dashing Hill-Lewis’ hopes yet again.
Oh well, see you next year, Geordin.

CLICKABET
JOINS SA’S ONLINE BETTING PARTY

Meanwhile,
just in time for Euro 2016, South Africa’s list of approved online sports
betting operators grew larger this month via the launch of Clickabet,
which is licensed by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.

The
site is majority owned by CEO Craig Venter, who until last summer was CEO
of telecom and electronics firm Altech. Neil Walters, who used to run
casino operator Sun International’s online betting site Sunbet,
has been hired as Clickabet’s general manager.

Clickabet’s
technology is supplied by Bettech Gaming, the Cape
Town-based turnkey provider that powers other African betting sites, including
Playabets, the online sportsbook of Van der Vyver Racing in South Africa’s
KwaZulu-Natal province.